Derrik Klassen
@qbklass
One third of The Athletic Football Show. League of Legends and R6 enjoyer.
hiding the safety rotation is all fun and games until you get caught rotating away from the play and your LBs are out leveraged with no help
next layer of the same concept: boundary WR runs a deep comeback, QB can't drive the ball to get it there
I wager Justin Herbert tries to throw the deep over behind the weak S who is put in a bind with the #1 running a corner route
not that you can't still accomplish this from a 1t alignment, but being a little wider sure does give the DL a better chance to get vertical push and turn his shoulders to limit his surface area before the C can do anything
Why playing the right front for the situation matters Rankins (90) is the weak DT, but playing a head-up 2-tech vs this 3x1 tight bunch rather than a standard 1-t/shade. This alignment makes it easier for Rankins to get upfield vs the C trying to reach him on weak zone and cut off the play early
Good PA discipline and play recognition from Henry To'o To'o (39). Knows the over is coming from the tight bunch, flies to his landmark to cut it off. Also a good example of gun PA being less effective/convincing because of how the QB handles the ball compared to UC runs
sometimes you get to talking about football and are reminded that Cam Newton won 11 games and was 12th in scoring offense with this:
Jags trying to run what looks like a switch version of Scissors. EJ Speed (45) does an excellent job staying on top and rerouting of the first vertical as he pushes to the flat ... muddies the picture for the QB, buys time for the pass rush
Weak side run pressure with the DT and DE slanting inside and the LB firing outside the LT. forces RB decision right away, doesn't allow for the bounce, and effectively makes the MIKE a free hitter
why did the Texans pay Reed Blankenship in free agency? because they do not want this to happen when the safety is rotated down
great recognition and trigger from Henry To'o To'o (39). tight UC formation w/ WR on the ball into the boundary screams toss and he was ready for it. flies down so fast in front of the puller to make sure the play has to cut inside, rest of the defense rallies. 3-yard gain
This one from 2024 vs the Panthers is *the* Ja'Marr Chase YAC play imo. There should be no universe where this is a touchdown. He's just insane.
Loved this part in @mattbarrows.bsky.social profile of KJ Wright as a coach. He really was the gold standard for setting the edge as an off-ball LB. I even remember writing about it for a Football Outsiders film room once www.nytimes.com/athletic/739...
or when he gets pushed off his spot entirely! remarkably talented thrower of the ol' pigskin
or when he knows he needs to speed things up vs the blitz. Stafford feels the heat, so he throws off his final drop step w/o a reset while keeping his weight and arm back away from potential rushers also allows him to more easily tiptoe away from the mess at his feet once he releases the ball
always get a kick out of how easily Stafford throws from weird body positions on boots
no other RB has as many modest gains that make you think "that's the best player on the field" as Bijan Robinson
positive play for the offense because 94 gets blown off the ball BUT once again look at Ernest Jones' extension and ability to get off blocks
never lets OL into his frame also think this play is a good example of being able to track the back while also making split-second decisions based on how the DL are playing. Jones can "feel" the cutback so he doesn't explode into the guard and instead keeps himself in a freer position
quintessential Ernest Jones rep instant trigger with a good downhill angle -> perfect block take-on to free himself -> once free, does not have the juice to finish the play himself but leverages the runner to his help effectively. 1-yard gain
